My Girlfriend and I have been living in a Lower East Side (NYC) apartment since 96' (stabilized). Our building owner \ management never gave anyone a lease and never made any Capitol improvements on the building what so ever except to fix major power outages and the boiler. He did verbally allow us to renovate in exchange for low rent. We are currently in retro trying to get that in writing. In 98' / 99' the building was sold. In the middle of partial renovation we stopped because the building was sold. We waited for some type of contact from the new owner but all we got in the mail was a letter stating that the building has been sold, no interview, no coffee, no cake, no nothing.-Now my questions is:

1) We are good tenants and have an reference letter from the old owner to prove it. If they are giving out leases is it possible for us to get one. Others in our building who have been far behind in rent during the transition have gotten one.

2) Do we have any legal rights to finish the renovations with or without the letter.